Locking device



L. v. MALLORY LOCKING DEVICE Filed July 31, 1937 Patented May 28, 1940 UNITED STATES LOCKING DEVICE Louis V. Mallory, Salina, Kana, assignor of onehalf to Louise 0. Mallory and Bertha J. Bay,

Houston, Tex.

Application July 31, 1937, Serial No. 156,718

7 Claims.

This invention relates to locking devices and more particularly to locking devices of a gripping character for locking relatively slidable members against movement.

The principal objects of the present invention are to provide a locking device having members incorporated therein capable of binding an object, to which the device is attached, to an adjacent object, and to provide a release mechanism for the device for freeing such adjacent objects.

Further important objects of the present invention are to provide a mounting for the locking device, wherein the device is adapted to be mounted on the throttle lever of a locomotive, or the like; to provide an improved mounting for the locking device relative to a slide bar for the locomotive throttle lever; and to provide improved lock actuating means on the lever engageable with the locking device.

In accomplishing these and other objects of the present invention, I have provided improved details of structure, the preferred form of which is illustrated in the accompanying drawing wherein:

Fig. 1 is an elevational view of a form of mounting for my improved locking device particularly illustrating its application to a steam head throttle lever.

Fig. 2 is a fragmentary bottom View of my improved locking device applied to a throttle lever.

Fig. 3 is a detail vertical cross section on the line 33, Fig. 1.

Fig. 4 is a detail vertical cross section of the locking device pro-per and slide rod, part of the locking device being broken away to illustrate the manner in which the locking members thereof are released from the rod.

Fig. 5 is a detail cross section 'on the line 5-5, Fig. 3, particularly illustrating the manner of engagement of the locking balls with the slide rod.

Referring more in detail to the drawing:

In the present form of the invention a conventional steam boiler or like head 34 is provided, having a conventional throttling or similar control member 35 and a conventional connection 36 forming a fulcrum to which a throttle lever 31 is pivotally attached in suitably spaced relation to the ends of the throttle lever. A bracket 38 is suitably mounted on the head 34 in alignment with the throttling member and is provided with a seat 39 for pivotally mounting the end 49 of the throttle lever. A conventional quadrant 4! which is usually mounted on a locomotive in the position shown, is also provided which may or may not have its usual notches removed, the quadrant forming a support for the outer end 42 of the throttle lever. 5 A slide rod 43 is pivotally mounted on the head 34 by a suitable tongue, groove and pin connection 44, the slide rod 43 being adapted to be slidably engaged in the bore 45 formed, Fig. l, in and extending through one end of the locking device housing 46.

The housing 46 preferably consists of a block having the bore 45 and a pair of diagonal bores 41, Fig. 5, which initiate at the ends of the block in spaced relation to the ends of the bore 45 and which terminate in an opening 48 in the inner face of the bore 45, preferably centrally relative to the ends of the block.

Due to the sliding movement of the throttle lever 37 in an are about its pivot point 39, it is necessary that means be provided for compensating for such arcuate movement to prevent binding of the locking device on the slide rod. I,

therefore, provide a swivel pin 49, Fig. 3, which is preferably threadedly mounted in the throttle lever 31 and which extends through the body of the block 45 preferably centrally relative to the ends thereof and spaced laterally from the bore 45 in the block.

The pin 49 is provided with a head 50 seated in a counter-bore in the upper face of the block 49 and is provided at its lower end with a suitable retaining member 5|, it being apparent that the block is swivelled on the pin 49 in response to arcuate movement of the throttle lever and pivotal movement of the slide rod to always maintain the bore of the block in alignment with the slide rod. Locking members, such as the balls 52 and 53 are mounted in the diagonal bores of the block and coil springs 54 are preferably mounted in said bores in back of the balls for bearing against the balls and against plugs 55 which are preferably threadedly mounted in theouter ends of the diagonal bores. for normally maintaining the balls at the inner terminal ends 45 of the bores in engagement with the slide rod.

With the construction thus far described, it is apparent that the locking balls normally bite into the slide rod in response to pressure of the springs 54 thereagainst for locking the throttle lever relative to the slide rod. In order to release the slide rod from engagement with the locking balls, I provide a wedge shaped plate 56 which is extendible through an opening 51 therefor in the upper face of the block into and be- 55,

tween the terminal ends of the diagonal bores for separating the balls and pressing them outwardly relative to each other for releasing them from engagement with the shde rod to, in effect, unlock the throttle lever. The wedge plate is pivotally mounted as at 58 on a bell crank lever 55-] which in turn is pivotally mounted on an outwardly extending arm 60 of a bracket 6!, which is suitably mounted on a corner of the block in such a manner as to space the arms 62 and 63 of the bell crank lever over the wedge plate opening of the block and a ball socket i l in an operating rod 55, respectively, the arm 63 of the bell crank lever having a ball 65 thereon which is swivelly maintained in engagement with the socket 5 3 by a suitable bushing 6'! preferably threadedly mounted in the socket over and about the ball end of the bell crank lever arm 63. A coil spring 58 is also preferably provided having one end thereof seating in a recess 69 at the upper end of the swivel pin 48 and its other end extending upwardly for engagement with the under face of the bell crank lever arm 62 to normally maintain the wedge plate out of engagement with the locking members.

The operating rod 65 extends outwardly in the same general direction as the end 42 of the throttle lever and is pivotally mounted on such end by a conventional grip lever id having a pivot member it for attaching the operating rod to the grip lever and having a pivot member 12 for attaching the grip lever to the end of the throttle lever, a gripping portion l3 being provided on the grip lever which is preferably provided with a torsion spring for normally maintaining the hand grip portion of the grip lever in spaced relation to the hand grip portion 14 of the throttle lever, whereby the ball end of the bell crank lever is maintained in forward position to retain the wedge plate in raised position out of contact with the locking balls.

The operation of a locking device constructed in accordance with my invention is as follows:

Assuming the throttle lever 3i to be in the position illustrated in Fig. 1 and further assuming that it is desired to move the throttle lever for increasing or decreasing speed of operation of the engine to which it is attached, the gripping portion 73 is moved toward the hand grip portion "i l of the throttle lever in. the usual manner which draws the operating rod to the right, Fig. 1, and also the ball-ended arm of the bell crank lever, which swivels in its ball and socket connection with the operating rod. Outward movement of the bell crank lever arm 63 causes downward movement of the arm 52 due to its pivotal connection with the bracket [ii for depressing the wedge plate 56 into its opening therefor in the block and between the locking balls for separating the locking balls and eifecting retractive movement thereof relative to the slide rod into the diagonal bores therefor. The locking device is thus released from biting or gripping engagement with the slide rod and the throttle lever may be moved in either direction for operating the steam or boiler head throttling member 35 as desired. The proper position for the throttle lever having been determined, the hand grip portion it need only be released for permitting the torsion spring to force the bell crank lever arm 62 to the left, Figs. 1 and 3, and retracting the wedge plate for releasing the locking balls. The locking balls being released, the springs in the diagonal bores come into play for forcing the balls to the terminal ends thereof into engagement with the slide rod for preventing movement of the throttle lever in either direction relative to the slide rod. In order to further change the position of the throttle lever, the operation need only be repeated.

The principal advantages in a locking device constructed in accordance with my invention over others heretofore available for this purpose are that a positive and a more minute adjustment is available for a throttle lever than is possible with the conventional ratchet and toothed adjustment for a throttle lever, which also avoids the expense incident to the provision of such a conventional ratchet arrangement on a throttle lever of this type.

What I claim and desire to secure by Letters Patent is:

l. A locking device of the character described including a housing having a through bore and a plurality of diagonal bores terminating in said through bore, locking members mounted in said diagonal bores and adapted to be normally retained at the inner terminal ends of said diagonal bores, and means on the housing for retracting said locking members into said diagonal bores.

2. A device of the character described including in combination with a throttle lever, a support, means pivotally mounting the throttle lever relative to the support, and a rod pivotally mounted on the support; a locking device for the throttle lever including a housing having diagonal bores terminating in said first-named bore, locking members mounted in said diagonal bores, means resiliently retaining the locking members in engagement with said rod, a bell crank lever pivotally mounted on the housing, a wedge member mounted on the bell crank lever adapted for extension into the housing into engagement with and, between said locking memhere to remove the same from engagement with said rod, means in the housing engageable with the bell crank lever normally maintaining the wedge member out of engagement with said locking members, an operating rod pivotally mounted on the throttle lever and having resilient connection with the bell crank lever, and means on the operating rod for actuating said bell crank lever to effect engagement of the wedge member with the locking members for disengaging same from the said rod, whereby the throttle i lever may be moved relative to the support.

3. A device of the character described including in combination with a head, a throttle member mounted in said head, a throttle lever having fulcrumed mounting on said throttle member, a

slide rod pivotally mounted on said head, a locking device swivelly mounted on said throttle lever and engageable with said slide rod, said locking device including a block having a through bore slidably sleevingthe block on said rod and having diagonal bores terminating at their inner ends in said through bore, locking members in said diagonal bores, resilient means normally maintaining the locking members in engagement with said rod, a wedge member in the head engageable between said locking members for separating same to release them from engagement with the rod, means pivotally mounting the wedge member on said block, means normally maintaining the wedge member out of engagement with said locking members, and means for pivoting said wedge mounting means for effecting engagement thereof with the locking members.

4. A device of the character described including in combination with a head, a throttle member mounted in said head, a throttle lever having fulcrumecl mounting on said throttle member, and. a bracket on said head pivotally mounting one end of the throttle lever; a slide rod pivotally mounted on said head, a locking device swivelly mounted on said throttle lever and engageable with said slide rod, said locking device including a block having a through bore slidably sleeving the block on said rod and having diagonal bores terminating at their inner ends in said through bore, locking members in said diagonal bores, resilient means normally maintaining the locking members in engagement with said rod, a wedge member in' the head engageable between said locking members for separating same to release them from engagement with the rod, means pivotally mounting the wedge member on said block, means normally maintaining the Wedge member out of engagement with said locking members, means pivoting said wedge mounting means for effecting engagement thereof with the locking members, including an arm on said pivotal means, an operating rod having ball and socket connection with said arm, and means pivotally mounted on the throttle lever opposite its pivotally mounted end for effecting pivotal movement of the Wedge member into engagement with the locking members for releasing the locking members from engagement with the slide rod.

5. A device of the character described including in combination with a throttle lever, a support, means pivotally mounting the throttle lever relative to the support, and a rod pivotally mounted on the support; a locking device for the throttle lever including a housing having a bore slidably mounted on said rod, said housing having diagonal bores terminating in said first-named bore, locking members mounted in said diagonal bores, and means resiliently retaining the looking members in engagement with said rod.

6. A device of the character described includ- I named bore, locking members mounted in said diagonal bores, means resiliently retaining the locln'ng members in engagement with said rod, a bell crank lever pivotally mounted, on the housing, and a wedge member mounted on the bell crank lever adapted for extension into the housing into engagement with and between said locking members to remove the same from engagement with said rod.

7. A device of the character described including in combination with a throttle lever, a support, means pivotally mounting the throttle lever relative to the support, and a rod pivotally mounted on the support; a locking device for the throttle lever including a housing having a bore slidably mounted on saidrod, said housing having diagonal bores terminating in said firstnamed bore, locking members mounted in said diagonal bores, means resiliently retaining the locking members in engagement with said rod, a bell crank lever pivotally mounted on the housing, a wedge member mounted on the bell crank lever adapted for extension into the housing into engagement with and between said locking members to remove the same from engagement with said rod, and means in the housing engageable with the bell crank lever normally maintaining the wedge member out of engagement with said locking members.

LOUIS V. MALLORY. 

